Reversal of spin polarization in Fe/GaAs (001) driven by resonant surface states: First-principles calculations

Abstract

A minority-spin resonant state at the Fe/GaAs(001) interface is predicted to reverse the spin polarization with voltage bias of electrons transmitted across this interface. Using a Green's function approach within the local spin density approximation we calculate spin-dependent current in a Fe/GaAs/Cu tunnel junction as a function of applied bias voltage. We find a change in sign of the spin polarization of tunneling electrons with bias voltage due to the interface minority-spin resonance. This result explains recent experimental data on spin injection in Fe/GaAs contacts and on tunneling magnetoresistance in Fe/GaAs/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions.

References in corpus (5)

• Electrical Detection of Spin Transport in Lateral Ferromagnet-Semiconductor Devices
• Tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance driven by resonant surface states: First-principles calculations of Fe(001) surface
• Spin extraction theory and its relevance to spintronics
• Bias dependent inversion of tunneling magnetoresistance in Fe/GaAs/Fe tunnel junctions
• Influence of interface structure on electronic properties and Schottky barriers in Fe/GaAs magnetic junctions

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• Hanle-effect measurements of spin injection from Mn5Ge3C0.8/Al2O3-contacts into degenerately doped Ge channels on Si
• Theory of electrical spin-detection at a ferromagnet/semiconductor interface
• Photon-gated spin transistor
• Detection of the spin character of Fe(001) surface states by scanning tunneling microscopy: A theoretical proposal
• Tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance of Fe/GaAs/Ag(001) junctions from first principles: Effect of hybridized interface resonances
• Perspectives in spintronics: magnetic resonant tunneling, spin-orbit coupling, and GaMnAs